Swan feet for the shield 

I skinned and pulls apart one side of a Swan feet for strips on the shield and the black fish tail.  I used small uluaq (women’s sewing knife) and believe it or not my teeth to pull apart the skin from the joint.  




Next step is do the other swan feet.  After I dry them – I will work on the shield and work around the shield, sewing the squirrels.  I need to find caribou hair for decorative strips that goes with the swan feet.  I have reddish brownish leather for the other strips for the shield.  

Author: Nasek'taq

Merna Wharton “Nasek’taq” is Yup'ik from Akiacuaq (Akiachak) lives in Anchorage Alaska. Merna is an Alaska Native artist, poet, traditional and contemporary seamstress, carver, gatherer of greens and berries, and loves the outdoors of Alaska! Merna enjoys finding art in natural elements and shares her experiences through her website, nasektaq.com. Merna crafts to preserve her culture and art and shares her worldview from a remote village Yup’ik girl’s perspective with a glimpse of life in Alaska in her writing and poems. More information about her art can be found at https://www.rasmuson.org/49writers/artist-profile/merna-wharton/.